Mixing consoles typically comprise a plurality of audio inputs and a plurality of audio processing channels. Sometimes these mixing consoles are also referred to as audio mixing consoles. Often, user operation elements associated with the various audio processing channels are arranged in columns. Each column typically corresponds to an audio processing channel. By actuating a user operation element of a column, a user of the mixing console can set audio processing properties for the particular audio processing channel.
Different audio equipment, for example, different microphones, is often processed using different audio processing properties. When considering microphones, in dependence on the audio source, for example, the speaker or particular instrument using the microphone, etc., the appropriate audio processing properties may vary. In this regard, the mixing console typically comprises a router which flexibly forwards audio data received at a given audio input to a given audio processing channel. The different audio channels are associated with the different audio processing properties, for example, tailored to the particular microphone connected with the respective audio input.
Therefore, as an effect, the audio processing properties of audio data received from a given microphone will depend on the audio input to which the given microphone is connected and the router setting. Reconnecting of the microphone should therefore occur at the same audio input, or cumbersome and error-prone reconfiguration of the router and/or of the audio processing properties of the respective audio processing channel may become necessary.
In this light, some mixing consoles provide aid in reconnecting audio equipment, for example, it may be possible to print out a setup chart which provides instructions to the user and/or technician indicating which microphone should be connected to which audio input. Further, some mixing consoles display a label on a multi-pixel display arranged in the column of a given audio processing channel. This label may be user-defined and describe the audio equipment so that the user can perceive which audio processing channel corresponds to which audio equipment.
However, such techniques face certain restrictions and drawbacks. For example, when reconnecting a microphone, there is a significant likelihood that the user erroneously plugs in the microphone to another audio input, thereby causing routing of the audio data to a different audio processing channel than intended, and, in turn, processing of the audio data using different audio processing properties than intended. In particular, this may be the case because the audio inputs may be located remote from the user interface of a particular audio processing channel. Moreover, the router configuration is typically not static. Further, often a large number of audio processing channels and/or audio inputs is available.
Therefore, a need exists for advanced techniques of audio mixing, in particular of routing audio data in a mixing console. A need exists for such techniques which reduce the likelihood of errors when reconnecting a given microphone to the mixing console where previously audio processing properties have been associated with a given audio processing channel. Further, a need exists for such techniques which enable to simplify the setup of the audio equipment and the mixing console.